Actigraphic sleep patterns are associated with bone turnover and bone mineral density among university students

Poorer sleep is associated with poorer bone health among older adults but the role of sleep in bone health during younger adulthood is understudied. In this observational study, the averages and variability in total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), and sleep midpoint of university students were examined in relation to levels of bone turnover markers (BTMs) and bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and femur. A sample of healthy, university students (N = 59, aged 18–25 years, 51.8% female, body mass index <30 kg/m²), wore a wrist actigraph for 7 days, completed a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, and underwent blood sampling to assess serum BTM concentrations of osteocalcin (OC) and N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen. A sub-sample (n = 14) completed a one-year follow-up. Multiple regression models examined the associations between each sleep metric and bone health outcome at baseline and 1-year follow-up. At baseline, greater variability in sleep midpoint was cross-sectionally associated with greater OC (β = 0.21, p = 0.042). In the exploratory, follow-up sub-sample, lower average TST (β = −0.66, p = 0.013) and SE (β = −0.68, p = 0.01) at baseline were associated with greater increases in OC at follow-up. Greater delays in mean sleep midpoint over follow-up were significantly associated with decreases in lumbar spine BMD (β = −0.49, p = 0.03). In a sample of young adults, variable sleep schedules were associated with greater bone turnover suggesting the potential importance of regular sleep for optimising bone health into early adulthood.